Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven's Morning Coffee -- a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, public meetings and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 22, and here is what's happening in Los Angeles:

Headlines

Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez asked the city's mayoral candidates what they would do on pension reform and ended up getting some choice quotes from former Mayor Richard Riordan. "(Wendy) Greuel and (Eric) Garcetti are owned by the unions, and the only reason I'd support Zev is that [the unions] don't like him," he told The Times. Also, "When I announced I was going to run, my psychiatrist resigned."

Commercially-bred cats, dogs and rabbits would be banned from Los Angeles pet shops under a new law being considered by the Los Angeles City Council, reports the Daily News. L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon questions the city's ability to enforce the ban, should it take effect.